The UAB football team experienced the “tale of two halves” in its AAC opener, a 35-23 loss to Tulane, Saturday, Sept. 30, at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans.

The Blazers were outgained on offense, 448-434, and scored only a field goal in the second half.

Jacob Zeno finished 27-of-35 for 236 yards and was sacked twice, and true freshman Amare Thomas once again led the receiving effort with eight receptions for 99 yards, bringing his total to 17 catches for 159 yards and a score in the last two games. Tejhaun Palmer had four receptions for 46 yards.

Isaiah Jacobs finished with 95 rushing yards and Jermaine Brown Jr. had 92 total yards on 19 touches. Brandon Buckhaulter had a 35-yard gain on an end-around and Fred Farrier II completed a pass to Palmer for 28 yards.

Keondre Swoopes, Damien Miller and Michael Moore had six tackles each to lead the defense, and Nikia Eason Jr. and Kendall Johnson recovered fumbles.

Blazers Dominant Early

UAB found itself cruising toward an upset in the first half and held a 20-7 lead late in the second quarter before the Green Wave adjusted and swung momentum their way in the final minute. The Blazers put up 216 total yards in the first two quarters, rushing for 107 yards and passing for 109 yards, and Jacobs scored twice on the ground and Matt Quinn drove in field goals of 31 and 48 yards.

Zeno was 17-for-20 passing, while Jacobs popped off 62 rushing yards, to pace a UAB offense that controlled more than half of the time of possession in the first half. Thomas kept up his strong play from a week ago and brought down five receptions for 45 yards.

Defensibly, UAB held the Green Wave to 82 total yards before a final 75-yard drive increased the allotment to 157 yards. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt was 7-of-13 for 53 yards and was sacked twice, and the Blazers forced a fumble and a three-and-out while building a 20-7 advantage.

Second-half Collapse

Although it started in the final five minutes of the second quarter with Tulane driving 75 yards in nine plays to cut the lead to 20-14 before the break, UAB was outscored by 25 points after taking a 20-7 lead with 5:05 remaining in the opening half. Before the final scoring drive of the half, the Blazers held Tulane to 38 passing yards, 44 yards on the ground and a 1-of-4 showing on third-down conversions.

The Green Wave had five possessions in the second half and scored on three while losing a fumble and missing a long field-goal attempt. Tulane wasted no time on the opening drive of the half and took a 21-20 lead on three straight runs that saw Ja’Quan Jackson gain 24 yards and Makhi Hughes capping the drive on plays of 21 and 18 yards.

UAB’s offense did the defense no favors on the ensuing possession, going three-and-out, and Tulane shredded the Blazers on the ground until Michael Fairbanks II forced a fumble that Kendall Johnson recovered to end the threat. The Blazers crossed midfield on the following drive, turning the ball over on downs after reaching the 44-yard line, and Tulane increased its advantage five plays later on a 14-yard touchdown pass.

A field goal from Matt Quinn resulted in the only points for UAB in the second half and Tulane clinched the victory in the final minutes of the game with a 32-yard touchdown strike on fourth down with 47 seconds remaining.

Costly Mistakes Pile Up

For all the improvement and development in execution, the Blazers are still committing silly and costly mistakes and it piled up in a game that was for the taking after creating a two-score lead late in the first half. UAB punted only twice in the game but was 1-of-3 on fourth-down conversions — an incomplete pass on the final play of the opening half and lost possession in Tulane territory after Thomas brought down an incredible 31-yard pass from Zeno.

Following a Tulane scoring drive to make it 28-20 late in the third frame, UAB drove 74 yards down to the goal line but Zeno fumbled on third down and the Green Wave recovered in the end zone. Brown almost crossed the plain on a 12-yard scamper up the middle and Zeno was stood up twice on consecutive quarterback sneaks, the last of which resulted in the turnover.

The Blazers forced a three-and-out on the ensuing Tulane possession but were called for 12 men on the field on fourth-and-two, resulting in a fresh set of downs for the Green Wave but ultimately mute after a missed 45-yard field goal attempt. UAB added another Quinn field goal but could not get off the field as Tulane plunged the dagger with a 32-yard touchdown pass on fourth down, inside the final minute of the game.